Pope's visit-a letdown for angry victims

by expatbrian

Crowds of former abuse victims, their families and supporters were angered and frustrated by the Pope's comments yesterday and rightly they should have been. Instead of apologizing to them directly for the dispicable and sinful behavior of the clergy involved and his church's systematic attempts to cover it up, he instead moaned about how it had hurt the church. In other words, the church is the victim here, not the thousands of innocent children whose lives were ruined by its representatives.

"It is a great suffering for the church in the United States and for the church in general and for me personally that this could happen,” Benedict said, adding that he would work to keep pedophiles out of the priesthood. “It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission."

At a news conference in Boston organized by a victims’ group, Mr. Robert Costello, who said he was abused by a priest in West Roxbury, Mass., starting when he was 10, said he was shocked that the pope would talk about his own suffering and that of the church while making no mention of the harm done to victims.

Various victims’ organizations requested several months ago that the pope or his representatives meet with them during the papal visit, Mr Isley said, but all such requests were met with silence. Indeed, the Pope refused to listen to any of the victim's input.

I said it yesterday and I will say it again. The pope and his Vatican cartel care only about one thing. The money. They have proven themselves to be arrogant, lying demagogues and unworthy of the respect or admiration of the millions of good catholics who they are supposed to represent. I hope every single person who was abused by these putrid ungodly pedophiles goes public and bleeds the Vatican coffers dry.

cross posted at World Gone Mad